Sri Lanka vs India 2017, 2nd Test: Sourav Ganguly lauds KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara
Aug 4, 2017 at 2:39 PM
Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly who is a part of the Cricket Advisory Committee and is also the President of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) heaped praise on Indian opener KL Rahul and one of India’s mainstays in the middle order, Cheteshwar Pujara. While Rahul struck his 6th consecutive Test fifty, Pujara went on to notch up his 13rd Test century.
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Rahul scored a fluent 57 on the opening day of the 2nd Test in Colombo before a terrible mix up with Pujara cost him his wicket. It was his sixth consecutive fifty, equalling the record of Rahul Dravid and Gundappa Vishwanath. Rahul injured his shoulder during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in March and despite playing through he finished as the leading run getter in the series.
He missed the subsequent Indian Premier League and the Champions Trophy which India lost in the final against arch-rivals Pakistan. He also missed the bilateral series against West Indies, so making a comeback after a layoff for four months wasn’t easy for him.
“He’s a very good player. He’s a player for all formats for India. He’s got to be careful about his injuries. The more he plays the better he is going to be. The run-out was a misunderstanding. It happens. Rahul will be disappointed to not get a 100 against this attack,” Ganguly was quoted as saying by India Today.
The former captain also lauded Cheteshwar Pujara for his vital contributions in away Test and hopes Pujara continues his dream run in the longest format of the game.
“Terrific player. It’s a remarkable turnaround since the West Indies tour. Doesn’t get picked in ODIs, doesn’t play IPL but he comes and gets runs in Test cricket,” Ganguly said.
“His hunger is amazing and it’s great to see him getting all these runs. Wish him many more and hopefully, he continues the run-scoring spree. India will start to go away and Pujara’s form at No. 3 will be important,” he concluded.
India is currently dominating the 2nd Test in Colombo and is on the verge of winning the series for the 3rd time in their history.